I was seven, it was 
the sixties, I remember watching “National Geographic” on the television. It appeared Sunday nights after “Lassie” and the “Wonderful World of Disney.” Because I was young the impact was extraordinary; Jaques Cousteau while he dived with a woman called Eugenie Clark. A woman on television doing what I had seen men do. I could do that! I only thought about being female. It never occurred to me that being an amputee might be a larger obstacle…not allowing for those thoughts. I watched every show with such conviction, loving all the animals in the sea. To me, there were no “ugly” animals; seeing myself diving amongst all the sea life and becoming one with those wonderful creatures.
I don’t remember a time when I didn’t know how to swim. It came as second nature. My parents arranged for swimming lessons at the age of six. It was not because I couldn’t swim but because I always swam under water and never wanted to come up for air that I was destined to dive. Despite my lessons, I preferred to be under the water and still do today. While in the water the sounds, the freedom of playing and being in a whole different world, unencumbered by any physical limitations I have on land are as if from another world.
Twenty-five years later when my husband, John, and I were in Bermuda, I was able to go on a resort diving course and loved every minute. I dived in Bermuda, saw and swam with the most incredible sea life I had ever seen. I was hooked.
From Bermuda, I returned to Indiana in October to begin my dive course. It was an exciting eight weeks but a definite challenge. We were expected to swim 800 meters without stopping. Thinking I would be clever and go first, I swam hard wanting to complete the task and show everyone I could do it. It turned out not to be as easy as anticipated. I was able to swim half the distance, but was told I could try again. Although tired from the previous 400 meter swim, I was committed to swimming the distance successfully. I began again and I did it.
While our swimming tests were in the local indoor pool we swam our Open Water Course, in November in a rock quarry near Bloomington. It was COLD. I wore a heavy wetsuit made for someone with two legs and had to modify the suit using, what else, duct tape. The water pooled around my stump when someone came from behind, for fun and squished the water driving it up into my suit. Cold had a new meaning. A few decided not to do the open water dives because it was freezing and the water was very cloudy, resulting in poor visibility and caused claustrophobia among several in our group. One day while diving the navigation portion of my course, the murky water parted when I saw what I thought to be the Virgin Mary. It was a statue standing just to the left of a Volkswagen Beetle. I thought I was seeing things but I realized I should not be surprised at anything I saw in a rock quarry, in November, in Indiana. I had never before had any reason to be in water at that temperature, but I was diving with assuredness.
I became certified that weekend and it was most exciting. I came home and immediately framed my document certifying me as an “Open Water Diver.” I had worked for over eight weeks to achieve this and it was magical.
While my husband and I lived in the United Kingdom, we taught scuba diving to people with disabilities because we wanted to share our joy of the sea. We took people diving who had no arms nor legs as well as quadriplegics and amputees. There was a young man who had “run” the London Marathon over ten times. His mother had taken thalidomide during her pregnancy,causing him to be born without all four limbs. It took five people to get him under the water. The tanks made him flip over onto his back. One person had to hold him upright. He had no hands, so clearing his ears at depth was impossible. One person was there to clear his ears. Another had the responsibility of keeping him buoyant, but not too buoyant. He was steadfast in his desire to go under at least once and after many attempts, he accomplished his goal. I saw true determination that day.
A birth defect has caused constant pain since I was eighteen years old. Diving was not only exciting but it set me free from the pain caused by the gravity of the earth pulling at my body. When I am on or near the bottom of the sea and perfectly weighted, I have no pain. This only happens while in the water and it does not happen often.
When we decided to move from London to Sarasota in 2000 we saw Mote Marine on television. Learning of their research in sharks and sea mammals, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. When we moved to Florida, I immediately signed up to volunteer at Mote. My favorite position there has been working in the hospital rehabilitating small whales and dolphins. I have experienced the joy of being in the water with dolphins and two Pygmy Sperm Whales. I have been called at three in the morning to go to Mote to walk a whale or dolphin around a half-filled tank while counting heartbeats and respirations since ill whales do not swim. A call could come in all kinds of weather: rain, hurricanes and in the freezing cold. It can be sad when there is a loss of an animal such as Ami, a Pygmy Sperm whale. She was the longest pygmy sperm whale studied and held in captivity. When she died she was two years old. We had raised her from an infant.
Diving has allowed me to learn about myself, my limitations and my determination. My husband and I have dived all over the world from the beautiful, clear blue waters of Aruba to the cold murky waters of England to the fascinating seas of Fiji.
We spent a month diving around Fiji and meeting wonderful local people. There were so many sea creatures I had not seen before. I have dived in oceans people only see on television. As the sharks swam past, I felt as though I was in a National Geographic film. Many sharks swam toward me, black tip reef sharks, hammerheads, leopard sharks all entering the lagoon to feed. It was an incredible experience. I knew that all of these sharks were not dangerous to us, but it was frightening when one turned and headed toward my husband. For a moment there was a sense of fear, but it was short- lived when the shark swam on to a more tasty morsel than a man in a rubber suit blowing bubbles.
No matter, I live and love to dive….It all started with Eugenie Clark on “National Geographic.”